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Anomalures
Temporal range: Late Eocene to recent[1]38–0 Ma
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Anomalurus beecrofti, Beecroft's flying squirrel Artist: Joseph Wolf, 1851
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Rodentia
Suborder:
Anomaluromorpha
Family:
Anomaluridae Gervais in d'Orbigny, 1849
Type genus
Anomalurus
Waterhouse, 1843
Genera
Anomalurus
Idiurus
The Anomaluridae are a family of rodents found in central Africa.[2] They are known as anomalures or scaly-tailed squirrels. The six extant species are classified into two genera.
All anomalurids have membranes between their front and hind legs like those of a flying squirrel, but they are not closely related to the flying squirrels that form the tribe Petauristini of the family Sciuridae. They are distinguished by two rows of pointed, raised scales on the undersides of their tails.[3] The anatomy of their heads is quite different from that of the sciurid flying squirrels.
By extending their limbs, anomalures transform themselves into a gliding platform that they control by manipulating the membranes and tail.[4] Like flying squirrels, these species have a cartilaginous rod that aids them in maintaining the extension of the patagium when in flight; unlike flying squirrels, their cartilage originates at the elbow joint rather than at the wrist.[5]
Most anomalurid species roost during the day in hollow trees, with up to several dozen animals per tree. They are primarily herbivorous, and may travel up to 6 km (3.7 mi) from their roosting tree in search of leaves, flowers, or fruit, although they also eat a small amount of insects. They give birth to litters up to three young, which are born already furred and active.[3]
Anomalurids represent one of several independent evolutions of gliding ability in mammals, having evolved from climbing animals.[6][7] The others include the true flying squirrels of Eurasia and North America, colugos or flying lemurs of Southeast Asia, and the marsupial gliding possums of Australia.
^Dieterlen, F. (2005). "Family Anomaluridae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1533. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^ abFleming, Theodore (1984). Macdonald, D. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 632. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
^"Anomalure | rodent | Britannica".
^Waterhouse, George Robert (27 September 1842). "Descriptions of New Species of Quadrupeds collected by Mr. Fraser at Fernando Po". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 10: 125. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
^Fabre, Pierre-Henri; Tilak, Marie-Ka; et al. (June 2018). "Flightless scaly-tailed squirrels never learned how to fly: a reappraisal of Anomaluridae phylogeny". Zoologica Scripta. 47 (4): 404–417. doi:10.1111/zsc.12286. S2CID 89754034.
^Coster, Pauline M. C.; Beard, K. Christopher; Salem, Mustafa J.; Chaimanee, Yaowalak; Jaeger, Jean-Jacques (2015). "New fossils from the Paleogene of central Libya illuminate the evolutionary history of endemic African anomaluroid rodents". Frontiers in Earth Science. 3: 56. Bibcode:2015FrEaS...3...56C. doi:10.3389/feart.2015.00056. hdl:1808/22093.
Anomaluridae are a family of rodents found in central Africa. They are known as anomalures or scaly-tailed squirrels. The six extant species are classified into...
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birds and bats respectively. Flying squirrels, sugar gliders, colugos, anomalures and other mammals also have patagia that extend between the limbs; as...
kangaroo rats, and kangaroo mice Pedetidae – springhares Anomaluridae – anomalures Carleton, M. D. and G. G. Musser (2005). "Order Rodentia". pp. 745–752...
it supplements this with leaves, meat from small vertebrates, such as anomalures, flying squirrels and duikers, and invertebrates. In some instances, bonobos...
supplemented with leaves, honey, eggs, meat from small vertebrates such as anomalures, flying squirrels and duikers, and invertebrates. The truffle species...
Anomaluromorpha is a clade that unites the anomalures, springhares, and zenkerella. It has alternately been designated as either a suborder or infraorder...
Uganda. Fossils have been found as far north as Turkey. Together with the anomalures and zenkerella, Pedetidae forms the suborder Anomaluromorpha. The fossil...
Flying squirrels have been reported to glide over 200 metres (660 ft). Anomalures or scaly-tailed flying squirrels (family Anomaluridae). These brightly...
akin to similar structures in flying squirrels, bats, pterosaurs and anomalures. Though propatagia are known in birds and similar dinosaurs, scansoriopterygids...
75(3): 277-280. First observations on the behavior of the flightless anomalure (Zenkerella insignis). Zoology DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2017...
notoungulate. Shazurus Valid Sallam Seiffert Simons Late Eocene Egypt An anomalure. The type species is S. minutus. Simiolus andrewsi Valid Harrison Middle...
Kabirmys qarunensis is an extinct species of anomaluroid (scaly-tailed flying squirrel) rodent from the earliest late Eocene of the Birket Qarun Formation...
Geomyidae (pocket gophers). Seven genera and 41 species. Anomaluridae (anomalures). Three genera and seven species. Pedetidae (springhares). One genus and...
Prozenkerella Gen. et sp. nov Valid Coster et al. Early Oligocene Libya An anomalure. The type species is Prozenkerella saharaensis. Pseudoacaremys Gen. et...
Valid Marivaux et al. Early Oligocene Samlat Formation Western Sahara An anomalure. The type species is A. minutus. Atlantocerus exilis Sp. nov Valid Qiu...
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